Chapter 316 - 311: Who Can Kill Him, Who Dares to Kill Him?

"What’s wrong?"

Du Youqian asked himself. ’Although my Cultivation is about the same as the Beautiful Daoist Wu Ai’s, my Divine Sense is far stronger than hers. And thanks to my high-level Divination Art, my intuition should also be much stronger than hers. But I haven’t sensed anything amiss.’ But Du Youqian didn’t dare to dismiss it. ’This world is full of extraordinary people; perhaps Wu Ai has some special talent.’

Wu Ai’s willow-leaf brows curved into a sorrowful arc.

Her eyes, bright as stars in the night sky, were now clouded with mist, their light hidden as if by dark clouds.

"Martial Uncle Wu Jiu... has fallen!"

Du Youqian was stunned. "Impossible. Who could kill him? Who would *dare*?"

He was more suspicious of how Wu Ai could have sensed Wu Jiu’s death from thousands of miles away.

Wu Ai wiped her eyes and turned to Du Youqian. "Fellow Daoist You De, please forgive me, but I cannot travel with you for the time being. I must find Martial Uncle Wu Jiu. Even if I can’t avenge him immediately, I have to investigate the cause of his death."

Du Youqian considered for a moment.

He wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs.

But the Taihe Sect had lent him an immortal’s cave for his Core Formation, Elder Wu Fei had told him so many secrets, and he’d even wanted to send a "soft sister" to warm his bed. That was a favor he had to acknowledge.

’If I can repay a bit of it now, I should.’

So he nodded at Fang Hua. Such was their rapport that even without using Divine Sense, Fang Hua knew exactly what he intended to do.

Fang Hua rolled her eyes and turned her back to him.

The message was clear: ’I’m not happy about this, but I’ll go with you.’

Du Youqian smiled apologetically, then said to the beautiful Daoist nun, whose sorrow made her look all the more pitifully lovely, "I’ll go with you. Fellow Daoist Wu Jiu was a kind and magnanimous man, a rare leader of the Righteous Dao. If we find his killer, I will help you bring them to justice."

Tears welled up in Wu Ai’s almond-shaped eyes again. ’What a sentimental Holy Mother,’ he thought.

She nodded emphatically. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"

He threw out his Treasure, the Thousand-Mile Shuttle, unhesitatingly powering it with Spiritual Diamonds.

The Thousand-Mile Shuttle crossed Yu Kun Mountain, and after reaching the Qin Kingdom, it veered north.

The newly opened Secret Realm was located in the northern part of the Qin Kingdom.

The Qin Kingdom was the Destruction Sect’s sphere of influence and belonged to the Demon Sect Camp.

However, this particular Secret Realm was open to both factions.

Du Youqian had once been a True Inheritance Core Formation of the Holy Blood Sect, so he was naturally extremely knowledgeable about the world’s Secret Realms, Relics, Gang Domains, and Evil Pools.

As the last bastion of the Human Race’s legacy, Momenan had been cleansed of the Demon Race time and time again. As a result, there were generally no members of the Demon Race in its Secret Realms and Relics.

All Secret Realms and Relics could be broadly divided into two categories: Trial-type and Resource-type.

To develop the combat abilities of disciples, they were usually sent to Secret Realms with abundant Spiritual Qi, where beasts could gain power rivaling the Foundation Establishment stage. However, the combat in such realms was low-level, only suitable for the training of Qi Cultivation Disciples.

To hone the Magical Combat skills of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they would choose Secret Realms or Relics that contained Foundation Establishment Puppets.

The resources in these two types of Trial-type Secret Realms were often long depleted.

As for Resource-type Secret Realms, the dangers typically arose from the natural environment or the Gang Sha Qi that formed within them.

Furthermore, after exploring, Cultivators wouldn’t destroy the natural environment or the Gang Sha Qi, because many resources were born from those very harsh conditions.

The Secret Realm that had opened this time was a Resource-type, not a Trial-type.

Core Formation Masters generally didn’t enter the Secret Realm, instead waiting outside to act as support.

’So, if Master Wu Jiu really fell, then someone must have deliberately attacked him!’

Ever vigilant, Du Youqian slowed their approach as they neared the Secret Realm.

Although the Beautiful Daoist Wu Ai was anxious, she was not a foolish or impulsive person.

She bit her lip and didn’t rush him, instead extending her Divine Sense to continuously scan their surroundings for an ambush.

’She’s sensible, at least.’ Fang Hua shot her a glance, her dislike for the woman lessening slightly.

Du Youqian, of course, was also scanning with his Divine Sense at full strength, his detection range far exceeding Wu Ai’s.

Soon, he noticed something.

His expression darkened instantly.

"The battle’s not over yet. Let’s go!" he said, steering the Thousand-Mile Shuttle rapidly to the northeast.

Before long, both Fang Hua and Wu Ai sensed the ripples of combat as well.

With Du Youqian using his Divine Sense to conceal their approach, the Thousand-Mile Shuttle went undetected, arriving directly above the battlefield.

Du Youqian communicated briefly with Fang Hua and Wu Ai via Divine Sense, informing them of a large-scale Array below.

Then the three of them leaped from the Thousand-Mile Shuttle, joining the battle with incredible speed.

One of the two warring factions below consisted of Core Formation Masters from the Nine Great Sects, but only five remained, and all of them were injured.

The other side was a group of a dozen or so unfamiliar Core Formation Masters—unfamiliar to Du Youqian, at least. Fang Hua and Wu Ai clearly recognized a few of them.

They both sent brief messages to Du Youqian via Divine Sense: half of these unknown Core Formation Masters were from Third-class or even Fourth-class Sects, while they didn’t recognize the other half.

This was highly illogical, as Fourth-class Sects weren’t supposed to have any Core Formation Masters!

If one did, it should have been enough to elevate the Sect’s status to a Third-class Sect.

’So,’ Du Youqian surmised, ’these Core Formation Masters—whether from Third and Fourth-class Sects or completely unknown—must have been secretly cultivated by Pang Master over the years.’

Normally speaking, there were likely fewer than a hundred Core Formation Masters in all of Momenan.

This was the culmination of several hundred years of accumulation!

Yet now, nearly a sixth of them were gathered here.

A battle of this scale was exceptionally rare in the entire history of Momenan!

As the trio joined the battle, they quickly communicated with the five Core Formation Masters from the Nine Great Sects.

Du Youqian quickly learned what had happened. They had been ambushed by more than a dozen unfamiliar Core Formation Masters. Though they had managed to kill a few of their attackers, Wu Jiu, along with the Core Formation Masters from Lingxiao Sword Pavilion and the Chongzhen Sect, had been killed in action. Xia Chuchu of the Red Lotus Sect had been severely wounded and fled, while the remaining five were trapped by the Array, unable to escape.

Du Youqian immediately began working on breaking the Array. Trusting him completely, Fang Hua charged directly into the formation to help the five embattled Core Formation Masters.

And while the Beautiful Daoist Wu Ai might not have trusted Du Youqian, she too charged into the Array without a second thought.

The unfamiliar Core Formation Masters weren’t about to let Du Youqian break the Array at his leisure; two of them immediately moved to attack him in a pincer formation.

One of them wielded a rare Moon Wheel-shaped Treasure, the other a Steel Ruler-shaped Treasure.

Their power was astonishing. The one with the Moon Wheel-shaped Treasure was at the Golden Core Middle Stage, and the other was not far behind.

Du Youqian was about to unleash a deadly counterattack when he felt a sudden impulse. He sensed that their attacks were all bark and no bite.

He trusted his instincts completely, but he wasn’t foolish enough to just stand there and take a hit. He quietly activated his Copper Skin Iron Bone Divine Abilities, preparing to endure the blow.

Even if they were truly trying to kill him, his Divine Abilities could withstand the attack.

At the same time, he secretly prepared a counterattack. If something felt wrong, his Sword Intent would lash out at them instantly.

The two Treasures struck him almost simultaneously. They looked incredibly powerful, but in reality, they only produced a strong gust of force meant to send him flying!

A brilliant golden light erupted from Du Youqian’s body, making it look as though he had barely managed to withstand their devastating attack using a Secret Technique.

Du Youqian understood at once.

’These two... they’re probably people I know, just using some Secret Technique to alter their appearance and aura.’

There were many Secret Techniques capable of this. Du Youqian himself was proficient in two such arts: the Mystic Clear Concealing God Hidden Breath Skill and the Nine Yin Nine Yang Ten Thousand Transformations Hidden Heaven Technique could both achieve the same effect.

The two of them kept their expressions neutral and didn’t try to communicate with him via Divine Sense. ’Someone must be secretly observing the battlefield, preventing them from revealing anything,’ he realized. ’They can only convey their message through this convincingly staged fight.’

Fortunately, Du Youqian was both bold and perceptive, able to form a tacit understanding with them in the heat of battle, where there was no margin for error.

Although they had altered their appearances and auras, making it impossible for Du Youqian to identify them by their Magical Power or Divine Sense fluctuations, centuries of friendship made him realize who they must be: Lin Sha and Meng Xiao.

Meng Xiao was naturally the one who hadn’t yet reached the Golden Core Middle Stage. It wasn’t for lack of talent or effort; he’d just spent all his resources on his "paper people"—no, wait, on ghosts.

Seeing that Du Youqian was playing along, Lin Sha and Meng Xiao threw themselves even more enthusiastically into the act.

Their mock battle was a spectacular affair—a flurry of dazzling lights and earth-shattering sounds that seemed to make the very heavens and earth tremble and the winds themselves change color.

Then, in a coordinated display, they allowed Du Youqian to "repel" them, feigning injury and appearing spiritually drained.

Meanwhile, Du Youqian continued to rapidly dismantle the Array.

Finally, Lin Sha found an opening. She closed in on Du Youqian and slashed with her moon wheel again. This time, Du Youqian could feel it was a genuine attack, but it held no killing intent. It seemed she only meant to wound him.

A thought flashed through Du Youqian’s mind. He deliberately dropped his defenses and let her strike him, taking the blow with a muffled grunt.

He felt a Jade Slip, delivered by Lin Sha’s attack, lodge itself inside his body.

Du Youqian quickly read its contents, then shattered the Jade Slip into dust, leaving no trace behind.

The Jade Slip’s message was that the Foundation Establishment Disciples inside the Secret Realm were also being hunted down. It urged Du Youqian to find an opportunity to go rescue them, stating that they would handle the situation on this end and try to avoid any more killing.

Du Youqian made his decision instantly. He used his Divine Sense to inform Fang Hua and the Daoist Nun Wu Ai of his plans, secretly relaying the identities of Meng Xiao and Lin Sha to Fang Hua alone.

Then, he shattered the Array.

The moment the restraint was broken, the beleaguered Core Formation Masters, who had been fighting with their hands tied, were instantly revitalized. Fang Hua and the Daoist Nun, Master Wu Ai, could also finally unleash their full power.

Du Youqian then struck Lin Sha and Meng Xiao with several blasts of Sword Intent that looked devastating but were completely harmless. The blows sent them reeling in a sorry state, "coughing up blood" repeatedly. Only then did he calmly turn and flee into the Secret Realm.

Lin Sha and Meng Xiao gave chase for a short distance before turning back, as if they had received an order to do so.

The situation on the battlefield had now reached a stalemate.

With the addition of two fresh combatants, Fang Hua and Wu Ai, the five Core Formation Masters from the Nine Great Sects managed to stabilize their footing.

However, their side had been locked in a bitter struggle for a long time, and with everyone wounded, they were slightly weaker. They couldn’t mount a major counteroffensive and had to fight cautiously.

As for the dozen or so Core Formation Masters on the other side, perhaps they each had their own ulterior motives, or perhaps they simply lacked the ability. In any case, they no longer pressed for the kill.

And the mastermind hiding behind the scenes never revealed themself.

The battle was locked in a tense equilibrium.

Before entering the Secret Realm, Du Youqian had observed the entire situation with his Divine Sense, taking it all in. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t find any trace of Pang Master.

But saving the disciples was more important. ’These Foundation Establishment disciples are the future of their sects; I can’t just abandon them.’

He had just burst into the Secret Realm when a pretty young woman in a Plain White Crane Robe came running toward him, seemingly in a panic. Du Youqian recognized her in a single glance. It was Jie Yu!